About 5 years ago I wrote a rhyming catechism for my children to memorize, and they have done a good job of it. For a time, though, I have been discontent with its lack of uniform meter. So, with trepidation, I put pen to paper to “reform” the old one so that it retained much of its original wording (so that my kids wouldn’t be thrown off too much), but have a uniform 9 syllable count per line. I have consulted a good many catechisms, but it is indeed reliant upon the first of John Owen’s Two Small Catechisms (especially the first and last questions), A Puritan Catechism by Charles Spurgeon, and (for brevity) Isaac Watts’ Plain and Easy Catechisms for Children. Hopefully it proves useful to the church at large.
1. Q. Where is all truth of God for us found?
A. All in God’s word that cannot be bound.
2. Q. When in the Scriptures, what do we find?
A. God’s will for sinners all throughout time.
3. Q. How is God’s word rightly divided?
A. Just like a diamond cuts a diamond.
4. Q. What, then, should be the chief end of man?
A. To trust, glorify, follow the Lamb,
as we rule, subdue, and fill the land.
5. Q. How is God, then, revealed in the word?
A. God is Spirit, Triune, cov’nant Lord.
6. Q. By “God is Spirit”, what had you meant?
A. He’s not made of flesh; omnipresent.
7. Q. What is that robe of light He’s dressed with?
A. Glory bright, majestic and splendid.
8. Q. What is this weighty thing called glory?
A. His attributes, that never bore me.
9. Q. What are God’s relative attributes?
A. Mercy, grace, patience, justice, and truth,
all of which His holy love imbues.
10. Q. Are some less, or more, or all equal?
A. Unchanging, infinite, eternal
are all these, because He is simple.
11. Q. What do you mean that “God is simple”?
A. His nature can’t divide, stays single.
12. Q. What does it mean that “God is Triune”?
A. Though we can’t understand by tryin’,
God is three Persons, logically fine.
13. Q. The Trinity’s logical, how come?
A. The Father, Spirit, and the only Son,
have the Divine Nature, which is one.
14. Q. In cov’nant, He isn’t Lord, is He?
A. Yes, He’s always in authority.
15. Q. What, please tell me, is a covenant?
A. Oath-bound friendship in His government.
16. Q. With whom has God been thus related?
A. With men from Adam unto David,
now the church that Israel awaited.
17. Q. Did God cov’nant in eternity?
A. Yes, each Person of the Trinity
pacted to save the elect freely.
18. Q. Is that all He did eternally?
A. He decreed all events most surely.
19. Q. How do decrees look in performance?
A. In God’s works: creation, providence.
20. Q. What, then, is God’s work of creation?
A. From nothing, all things He was makin’
in six days, then a Sabbath takin’.
21. Q. What, then, are God’s works of providence?
A. His holy, wise, pow’rful governance
of all His creatures and their actions.
22. Q. How did God create and care for man?
A. In His image, the woman for the man,
then covenanted to rule the land.
23. Q. Adam kept the command, didn’t he?
A. No, his sin brought us depravity.
24. Q. What, then, is this contamination?
A. Our whole nature is defiled by sin,
fallen are our thoughts, and words, and whims.
25. Q. What is sin, that we deserve judgment?
A. Failure to do God’s will per cov’nant.
26. Q. What did we all lose because of this?
A. Peace with God and our first righteousness.
27. Q. What did we all get because of this?
A. Pain and death and hell instead of bliss.
28. Q. Did God leave all to die in that state?
A. Though He passed over the reprobate
He chose some to be redeemed and saved.
29. Q. Who, please tell me, is their Redeemer?
A. The Lord Jesus Christ, only Savior,
God and man, one Person – two natures.
30. Q. How did the Son become a human?
A. God’s Son came to the virgin’s womb in
Spirit-wrought hypostatic union.
31. Q. What, please tell me, are Christ’s offices?
A. A king and priest and prophet He is.
32. Q. How, then, is Christ a Prophet to us?
A. God’s will He revealed – apocalypse.
33. Q. How then, now, is Christ our great high Priest?
A. He offered Himself and intercedes.
34. Q. How then, please tell me, is Christ our King?
A. He conquers our hearts and rules all things.
35. Q. What, then, is Christ’s humiliation?
A. The depths He went to come and save men.36. Q. What is His state of exaltation?
A. His resurrected elevation.

37. Q. Who applies this gracious provision?
A. God’s Spirit does without permission.
38. Q. How does He do this for our soul’s sake?
A. He does it by His resistless grace.
39. Q. What is irresistible grace then?
A. When He renews our will and nature,
and grants us faith for our salvation.
40. Q. What is this grace of saving faith then?
A. To take and rest on Christ who saves men
from sin – its reign and condemnation.
41. Q. What kind of faith escapes this sentence?
A. True faith is coupled with repentance.42. Q. What, then, is biblical repentance?
A. In grief to turn from our transgressions,
to obey God with new affections.

43. Q. Where are salvation’s benefits found?
A. In union with Christ, their only ground.
44. Q. What do we get when Christ is applied?
A. Justified, adopted, sanctified.
45. Q. What, please tell, is justification?
A. We are righteous by declaration,
set for judgment day vindication.
46. Q. What is this great truth called adoption?
A. With His Spirit, treated as His Son,
heirs of the world in resurrection.
47. Q. What, please tell, is sanctification?
A. We’re holy in Christ – consecration –
and prepping for our presentation.
48. Q. What benefits flow from all of these?
A. Assurance, peace, fruit – growth by degrees.
49. Q. With this grace, may we live like devils?
A. Never! We must go greater levels.
50. Q. What is revealed as our conduct’s rule?
A. The law of God is His perfect will.
51. Q. Where is that law found in the Scriptures?
A. Throughout, but with covenant difference.
52. Q. Please make these expressions of law plain?
A. The essence of law remains the same,
but cov’nants require love diff’rent ways.
53. Q. What, then, are these diff’rent arrangements?
A. Creation then Sinai law-phases,
now the law of Christ to the ages.
54. Q. What, please tell me, is the law of Christ?
A. That we imitate His perfect life
of burden-bearing self-sacrifice.
55. Q. What laws or commandments do we keep?
A. Since we sit at Jesus’ piercéd feet,
He hands us the whole Bible to read.
56. Q. How should we view the Old Testament?
A. Fulfilled by Christ and still relevant.
57. Q. What sacraments replaced those of old?
A. Baptism; Lord’s Supper: two we hold.
58. Q. What, then, does baptism represent?
A. Union with Christ and water-judgment,
clean by the Spirit, when you repent.
59. Q. What points to this in the Old Cov’nant?
A. Flood and exodus – saved through judgment.60. Q. What does baptism actu’lly do?
A. Marks us out with the woman’s Seed, Who
lead us on Exodus Number Two.

61. Q. What does the Lord’s Supper represent?
A. The fulfilled Passover meal judgment,
new cov’nant blood, Christ spir’tually present.
62. Q. Why do it? What do we get from it?
A. To recall and show Christ’s death in it,
and embrace, by faith, it’s benefits.
63. Q. Do we physic’lly eat flesh and blood?
A. No, we physic’lly eat wine and bread,
but are spiritu’lly nourished by God.64. Q. What does the Lord’s Supper actu’lly do?
A. Marks us out as Israel passing through
the wilderness on Exodus Two.

65. Q. What’s requir’d to worthily receive?
A. After the gospel has been believed,
we test ourselves for love for the sheep.
66. Q. How do we treat sacraments rightly?
A. Never despise or take them lightly,
nor trade Christ for them – idolatry.
67. Q. How good are they without the preached word?
A. Faith won’t come where the word isn’t heard.
68. Q. How does the word spark true believing?
A. By God’s blessing on humble reading,
but much more so list’ning to preaching.
69. Q. How can we know that we’re saved for sure?
A. When we believe and obey the word.
70. Q. What, then, will happen when Christ returns?
A. The dead be raised while the heavens burn,
saints glorified, and Christ judge the world.
71. Q. How do we know we’re not yet at home?
A. Death is still present, believers groan.
72. Q. What must happen before Christ appears?
A. Tribulation that we’ve seen for years,
will peak when the Man of Sin appears.
73. Q. Has tribulation really begun?
A. Yes, with the trials of God’s own Son,
and in His body, which are one.
74. Q. Of what does tribulation consist?
A. False-teaching; persecution of saints.75. Q. How can we expect to make heaven?
A. Grace and faith like Hebrews 11.

76. Q. What will be at the end for the blest?
A. Their souls live and reign while their flesh rests,
they’ll unite to meet Christ free from all death.
77. Q. What will be at the end for the damned?
A. While in torment, they’ll come out in bands
like pris’ners to the wrath of the Lamb.
78. Q. What will the bodies of the saints be?
A. Spirit-filled, immortal, and mighty.
79. Q. What bodies do the wicked await?
A. Those due their works, which can’t be unmade.
80. Q. What’s the end of this dispensation?
A. God’s fame in judgment and salvation.